Nr timing advance change detection

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device comprises: obtaining a timing advance (TA) value for uplink transmissions; receiving a grant for a radio resource control (RRC) inactive mode uplink transmission; measuring a reference signal associated with each beam of a plurality of beams at a first time; selecting a first beam based on the measured reference signals; measuring a reference signal associated with each beam of a plurality of beams at a second time in preparation for the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission; selecting a second beam for which the measuring was performed at the second time; and when the first selected beam is the same as the second selected beam and the reference signal for the first selected beam is within a threshold value of the reference signal for the second selected beam, transmitting the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to wirelesscommunications and, more particularly, detecting timing advance (TA)change in fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR).

BACKGROUND

Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according totheir ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless adifferent meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context inwhich it is used. All references to alan/the element, apparatus,component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referringto at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means,step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methodsdisclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact orderdisclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following orpreceding another step and/or where it is implicit that a step mustfollow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodimentsdisclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, whereverappropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may applyto any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features,and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from thefollowing description.

Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8 specifies theevolved packet system (EPS). EPS is based on the long-term evolution(LTE) radio network and the evolved packet core (EPC). It was originallyintended to provide voice and mobile broadband (MBB) services but hascontinuously evolved to broaden its functionality. Since Release 13,narrowband Internet-of-things (NB-IoT) and LTE for machine typecommunication (LTE-M) are part of the LTE specifications and provideconnectivity to massive machine type communications (mMTC) services.

3GPP Release 15 specifies the first release of the fifth generation (5G)system (5GS). 5GS is a new generation radio access technology servinguse cases such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable andlow latency communication (URLLC) and mMTC. 5G includes the New Radio(NR) access stratum interface and the 5G Core Network (5GC). The NRphysical and higher layers reuse parts of the LTE specification and addto that needed components when motivated by new use cases. One suchcomponent is a sophisticated framework for beam forming and beammanagement to extend the support of the 3GPP technologies to a frequencyrange going beyond 6 GHz.

NR Release 17 includes optimizing the transmission for small datapayloads by reducing the signaling overhead. An objective is to supportphysical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) data transmission for userequipment (UEs) in radio resource control (RRC) inactive mode based onan earlier configured grant. This requires that the UE is synchronizedto the downlink and uplink frame structure of the gNB. For the uplinkthis means that the UE possess a valid timing advance (TA) at the timeof the PUSCH transmission in RRC inactive mode.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating configured grant based physicaluplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for valid TA. At step 10, theUE enters RRC connected mode. At step 12, the UE receives a configuredgrant for PUSCH transmission in RRC inactive mode including a TAcommand. At step 14, the UE enters RRC inactive mode. At the nextscheduled uplink in the configured grant, at step 16, the UE determineswhether the TA is valid. If the TA is valid, the UE performs the PUSCHtransmission based on the configured grant.

NR includes beam management. For example, to overcome the challengingpropagation conditions in frequency range two (FR2), NR supportsadvanced beamforming techniques. The physical properties of a beam suchas its direction and beam width are at least in part defined by aspatial filter F that determines the mapping of data streams from, orto, a set of antenna ports to a set of physical antennas. F can bedetermined, for example, by a set of complex precoding weights definingthe phase and power of a signal at the physical antenna relative to thesignals’ power and phase observed at the antenna ports.

For a receiving node, a beam is associated to one or more referencesignals that are transmitted using the spatial filter F. An example isillustrated in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating spatial filter F, its associatedbeam, and a reference signal transmission. The illustrated example isfor a downlink transmit beam.

This permits a transmitting gNB to dynamical update its spatial filterF, for example, to adjust the beams pointing direction and track amobile UE. From the UE point of view, the UE is connected to the samebeam as the UE moves through a cell as long as the same reference signalis used by the gNB during the beam transmission.

Examples of reference signals associated with downlink transmit beamsare the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and thesecondary synchronization signal (SSS) transmitted in a synchronizationsignal block (SSB). A sounding reference signal (SRS) is an example of areference signal associated with uplink transmit beams.

Also, the receiver can be said to configure a receiver beam based on theconfiguration of the spatial filter F.

A NR UE may support multiple physical antenna panels to supportconnectivity regardless of the rotational direction of a UE. An exampleis illustrated in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a UE with a pair of antennapanels and a spatial filter for each. Filter F1 maps a first pair ofantenna ports to a first pair of antenna panels. Filter F2 maps a secondpair of antenna ports to a second pair of antenna panels.

Timing advance (TA) is used to synchronize uplink and downlink. Forexample, before initiating a connection to an 3GPP network, a devicesynchronizes its receiver to the downlink frame structure using, forexample, the primary and secondary synchronization signals (PSS, SSS).After transmitting an uplink physical random access channel (PRACH)preamble, in response the device receives a first downlink messagecontaining a TA command that enables the device to adjust the timing ofits transmitter to the uplink frame structure. The TA value correspondsto the round trip time, i.e., the time it takes a radio wave to travelfrom the device to the gNB and back. A stationary device can thus beexpected to receive the same TA configuration across consecutiveconnection attempts.

A NR device may obtain a fresh TA configuration every time it makes thetransition from idle or inactive mode to connected mode. In connectedmode, the TA is updated by gNB TA adjustment signaling complemented byminor self-adjustments performed by the UE. In idle or inactive mode,the network has so far not expected the devices to maintain a valid TAconfiguration.

For 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, the TA configuration is set with agranularity of ~0.52 us. This implies that for a UE in line of sight toa gNB, the smallest change in distance between the gNB and device thatis expected to trigger an update of the TA configuration corresponds to~80 meters. The TA granularity is reduced by a factor of 2 for everydoubling in the configured subcarrier spacing, relative to 15 kHz.

A gNB can tolerate an overall uplink timing error that is in the rangeof the cyclic prefix used in the transmission of the uplink channels.The NR normal cyclic prefix, typically used, is of length 4.7 us for 15kHz subcarrier spacing, which means that a device at least can expect toreceive an updated TA configuration after moving -700 meters closer, oraway, from its serving gNB. The NR specifications also support anextended cyclic prefix, which is less prone to uplink timing errors atthe cost of increased overhead. The cyclic prefix is reduced by a factorof 2 for every doubling in the configured subcarrier spacing, relativeto 15 kHz.

LTE includes a reference signal receive power (RSRP) that is estimatedbased on cell specific reference signals (CRS). The CRS is alwaystransmitted over the full system bandwidth in a transmission beamdefining the coverage of a cell. The RSRP can be determined as afunction of the base station (BS) output power P_(BS), the base stationantenna gain G_(TX), the signal propagation loss, and the UE antennaaperture A_(UE). This is shown in Eq. 1 where line-of-sight conditionsare assumed, meaning that the propagation loss at a distance d equals

$\frac{1}{4\pi d^{2}}:$

$\begin{array}{l}{RSRP = 10log_{10}\left( {p_{BS} \cdot g_{TX} \cdot \frac{1}{4\pi d^{2}} \cdot a_{UE}} \right) = P_{BS} + G_{TX} +} \\{10log_{10}\left( \frac{1}{4\pi d^{2}} \right) + A_{UE}}\end{array}$

Capital letters denote logarithmic values, while linear values aredenoted by small letters. By comparing the transmitted power by the basestation with the RSRP, a UE can determine the path gain (PG) based onthe measured RSRP which decreases with the distance d, under theassumption that the base station antenna gain, and the UE antennaaperture can be assumed to be independent of the distance d:

$PG(d) = P_{BS} - RSRP(d) = G_{TX} + 10log_{10}\left( \frac{1}{4\pi d^{2}} \right) + A_{UE}$

In reality this is a simplification, because the base station antennapoints its beam towards a certain direction in the cell, meaning thatalso G_(TX) in practice becomes dependent on d, with a local max at acertain distance d_(max) from the base station. An example isillustrated in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 4 illustrates the components of path gain in a LTE system. FIG. 4illustrates four graphs where the horizontal axis of each representsdistance and each vertical axis represents a different component of pathgain. As illustrated, the path gain characteristic is generallydominated by signal propagation gain and consequently is dependent onthe distance d.

LTE includes preconfigured uplink resources (PUR). LTE-M and NB-IoTsupport the PUR feature. PUR supports data transmission from RRC idlemode based on a preconfigured grant, under the requirement that the TAcommand received in the grant at a time t₀ can be validated at the timet_(N) of PUSCH transmission N.

The UE can be configured to compare the difference in RSRP measured att₀ with that measured at t_(N) for determining if the UE has moved. Ifthe difference, i.e., RSRP(t₀) -RSRP(t_(N)), exceeds a configuredthreshold, then the UE takes that as a sign of having moved so far thatthe configured TA no longer is valid, and initiates a request for a newgrant comprising a fresh TA command. Two thresholds may be used tocapture the difference in the RSRP change depending on if the UE movestowards or away from the base station.

The 3GPP NR Release 17 configured grant in RRC inactive feature may alsouse this existing solution.

There currently exist certain challenges. For example, NR supports theLTE frequency bands, but also a set of higher frequency bands referredto as frequency range 2 (FR2). Because of the short wavelength in theFR2 bands, the signal propagation becomes challenging. To overcome thischallenge, NR supports advanced beamforming methods includingtransmissions of beams of high gain. The high gain is associated with anarrow beam width, and as a consequence multiple beams are configuredover the area defining a cell. An example is illustrated in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 5 is a network diagram illustrating multi-beam cell coverage in NR.In the illustrated example, three beams define the coverage of a cell.Each beam is indicated by an index SSBX, where SSB stands forsynchronization signal block and refers to the fact that the beamsupports transmission of the Primary and Secondary SynchronizationSignals (PSS, SSS) as well as the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH).

In NR Release 15, RSRP for RRC inactive and idle mobility purposes ismeasured on the SSS, and optionally also on the PBCH demodulationreference signals (DMRS), transmissions in a SSB beam. A UE can beconfigured to determine RSRP based on SSB measurements performed in thestrongest beam, or as a linear average over the N strongest beams. Also,when using the linear average, the strongest beam power will dominatethe RSRP estimate.

In NR, it is possible to flexibly configure the gain for each beam. Areasonable implementation is to increase the beam gain with the distancebetween the gNB and the center point of the beams projection on the areait covers. This compensates the distance dependent propagation loss andevens out the signal quality experienced over a cell. An example isillustrated in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 6 illustrates the components of path gain in aNR system. FIG. 6illustrates four graphs where the horizontal axis of each representsdistance and each vertical axis represents a different component of pathgain. The example illustrates an increasing beam gain with distancewhich leads to a path gain that is weakly coupled to the distance to thebase station, especially when approaching the border between two beams.FIG. 6 exaggerates this effect for the sake of clarity.

This method of compensating also leads to aNR SSB RSRP that becomes lesscoupled to distance than what is expected for LTE CRS RSRP where asingle beam covers an entire cell. Thus, it is problematic to use NRcell specific RSRP as an indication for a change in TA with the Release17 configured grant feature.

SUMMARY

Based on the description above, certain challenges currently exist withdetecting timing advance (TA) change in fifth generation (5G) new radio(NR). Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodimentsmay provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, someembodiments base the TA validation in radio resource control (RRC)inactive mode for the Release 17 configured grant feature on thereference signal receive power (RSRP) change within a configured beam,i.e., to use a beam specific RSRP rather than a cell specific RSRP asused for long term evolution (LTE) preconfigured uplink resources (PUR).If a user equipment (UE) determines that there is a change in thestrongest measured beam within a cell, some embodiments invalidate theTA. In general, particular embodiments include a beam specific RSRPbased method applicable in NR FR2 for determining if an earlier acquiredTA configuration is still valid or needs to be updated.

According to some embodiments, a method performed by a wirelesscomprises: obtaining a TA value for use with uplink transmissions;receiving a grant for a RRC inactive mode uplink transmission; measuringa reference signal associated with each beam of a plurality of beams ata first time; selecting a first beam of the plurality of beams based onthe measured reference signals at the first time; storing themeasurement associated with the selected first beam; measuring areference signal associated with each beam of a plurality of beams at asecond time in preparation for the RRC inactive mode uplinktransmission; selecting, based on the measured reference signals at thesecond time, a second beam of the plurality of beams for which themeasuring was performed at the second time; and when the first selectedbeam is the same as the second selected beam and the measurement of thereference signal associated with the first selected beam is within athreshold value of the measurement of the reference signal associatedwith the second selected beam, transmitting the RRC inactive mode uplinktransmission using the obtained TA.

In particular embodiments, the method further comprises requesting a newTA value when the measurement of the reference signal associated withthe first selected beam is not within the threshold value of themeasurement of the reference signal associated with the second selectedbeam or when the first selected beam is not the same as the secondselected beam.

In particular embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting theRRC inactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA when: thefirst selected beam is not the same as the second selected beam; thefirst selected beam and the second selected beams are associated with asame TA value; and the measurement of the reference signal associatedwith the first selected beam is within a threshold value of themeasurement of the reference signal associated with the second selectedbeam.

In particular embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting theRRC inactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA when: thefirst selected beam is not the same as the second selected beam; and aspatial filter associated with the first selected beam is the same as aspatial filter associated with the second selected beam or an antennapanel associated with the first selected beam is the same as an antennapanel associated with the second selected beam.

In particular embodiments, selecting the first beam comprises selectingthe beam associated with the reference signal with the highest signalstrength at the first time and wherein selecting the second beamcomprises selecting the beam associated with the reference signal withthe highest signal strength at the second time.

In particular embodiments, the TA value is obtained as part of a randomaccess response (RAR) message or as part of a configured grant for RRCinactive mode uplink transmission.

According to some embodiments, a wireless device comprises processingcircuitry operable to perform any of the wireless device methodsdescribed above.

Also disclosed is a computer program product comprising a non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing computer readable program code, thecomputer readable program code operable, when executed by processingcircuitry to perform any of the methods performed by the wireless devicedescribed above.

Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technicaladvantages. For example, particular embodiments enable devices toperform NR RRC inactive mode uplink data transmission with a validtiming advance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and theirfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating configured grant based PUSCHtransmission for valid TA;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating spatial filter F, its associatedbeam, and a reference signal transmission;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a UE with a pair of antennapanels and a spatial filter for each;

FIG. 4 illustrates the components of path gain in a LTE system;

FIG. 5 is a network diagram illustrating multi-beam cell coverage in NR;

FIG. 6 illustrates the components of path gain in a NR system;

FIG. 7 is a network diagram illustrating SSB beams and their associatedTA values;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless network;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user equipment, according to certainembodiments;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flowchart illustrating an example method in awireless device, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a wireless device,according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example virtualization environment, according tocertain embodiments;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example telecommunication network connected viaan intermediate network to a host computer, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 14 illustrates an example host computer communicating via a basestation with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection,according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, according to certain embodiments; and

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, according to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, certain challenges currently exist with detectingtiming advance (TA) change in fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR).Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments mayprovide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, someembodiments base TA validation in radio resource control (RRC) inactivemode for the configured grant feature on the reference signal receivepower (RSRP) change within a configured beam, i.e., use a beam specificRSRP rather than a cell specific RSRP as used for long term evolution(LTE) preconfigured uplink resources (PUR).

Particular embodiments are described more fully with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained withinthe scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subjectmatter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments setforth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of exampleto convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

Some embodiments include beam specific RSRP based timing advancevalidation. For example, in a first group of embodiments at timeinstance T₀ a device makes the transition from RRC connected mode to RRCinactive mode holding a valid TA(T₀) configuration, which e.g. wasreceived as a response to a random access preamble transmission, i.e.,as part of Random Access Response (RAR) message, or as part of aconfigured grant for RRC inactive mode uplink transmission.

The UE also measures the beam specific RSRP on each beam in a set ofbeams. The measurements are performed on one or more configuredreference signals (RS) associated with, and transmitted in the beams(e.g., SSS, PBCH DMRS and/or CSI-RS). The set of RS (i.e., beams) forRSRP measurement may be explicitly configured by unicast signaling aspart of a configured grant for RRC inactive mode transmission or definedby RRC broadcast signaling, e.g., as the set of cell defining SSB beams.The UE identifies the strongest beam and RS X and stores its signalstrength RSRP(RS_(x),T₀).

Note that a UE is expected to perform the random access procedure on thestrongest SSB beam and may, in an example alternative, be configured tomeasure RSRP(RS_(x),T₀) on the SSS and PBCH DMRS in the SSB beam inwhich the RAR is received.

At a second time instance T₁ the higher layers in the device triggersthe preparation of a RRC inactive mode data transmission according tothe grant earlier received. In a first step of the preparation, thedevice again measures the beam specific RSRP on each RS included in aset of configured RSs, e.g., the SSS transmitted the N strongest SSBbeams, including RS X.

If the device concludes that RS X sent in beam X is still the strongest,the device will determine the beam specific change in RSRP, i.e.dRSRP_(x) = RSRP(RS_(x),T₁) - RSRP(RS_(x),T₀). If the change dRSRP_(x)is below one or more configured threshold(s) dRSRP_(THx) the device mayassume that its TA(T₀) value stored since its most recent Random AccessResponse (RAR), or configured grant message reception is still valid,and may be used to complete the RRC inactive mode data transmission. Ifthe change in RSRP exceeds one or more of the configured thresholds, theTA value may be determined invalid, and the UE may attempt to acquire afresh TA configuration from the network, e.g., using the random accessprocedure.

In some embodiments, if the threshold is set to infinity, the configuredTA is always valid as long as the UE remains in the same beam.

Some embodiments include inter-beam mobility based TA validation. Forexample, in a second group of embodiments, if at the second timeinstance T₁ the UE concludes that a new RS Y in beam Y has becomestronger in terms of RSRP compared to RS X in beam X, then it determinesthe TA to be invalid.

In one variant of the second embodiment a hysteresis value dRSRP_(THxy)is configured. The UE determines the TA to be invalid in case the changedRSRP_(xy) = RSRP(RS_(Y),T₁) -RSRP(RS_(x),T₀), exceeds the hysteresisvalue dRSRP_(THxy).

FIG. 7 is a network diagram illustrating SSB beams and their associatedTA values. In some cases, certain RS and beams are associated with asimilar TA value as illustrated in FIG. 7 for SSB beams 3 and 4. As anexception to the second group of embodiments, the base station may granta UE permission to perform inter-beam mobility across beams that aredetermined to be associated with a similar TA range, withoutinvalidating the configured TA. The RS and beams associated with asimilar TA may be signaled as part of the configured grant for RRCinactive mode transmission.

Alternatively, to support inter-beam mobility without invalidating theTA, a UE may provide assistance data that allows a comparison of RSRPmeasured on RS in different beams. A max antenna gain offset GO_(XY) foreach beam Y relative a selected reference beam X may be signaled. Thegain offset can be defined as GO_(XY) = G_(Y) - Gx, with G_(X) and G_(Y)being the max antenna gain used for beam X and Y, respectively. Thesignal strength difference dRSRP_(xy) can then be calculated asdRSRP_(xy) = (RSRP(RS_(Y),T₁) - GO_(XY)) - RSRP(RS_(x),T₀) and comparedto a set of RSRP thresholds for determining if the TA should beinvalidated or not.

Some embodiments include TA validation based on UE spatial filterselection. In particular embodiments, the UE determines the spatialfilter F(T₀) and antenna panel P(T₀) used for receiving the strongest RSX and maximizing the measured RSRP(RS_(x),T₀). At time Ti the UE againdetermines the spatial filter F(T₁) and antenna panel P(T₁) used forreceiving RS X and maximizing the measured RSRP(RS_(x),T₁). If the UEdetermines that F(T₀)= F(T₁) and P(T₀)= P(T₁), it determines that the TAis valid. If one or both of the spatial filter and antenna panel havebeen adjusted the UE takes this as a sign of that the signal propagationpath between the gNB and UE has changed, and the UE consequentlyinvalidates the TA.

In some embodiments, the UE determines if the TA is valid based on oneof, or a combination of two or more of, the above methods.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example wireless network, according to certainembodiments. The wireless network may comprise and/or interface with anytype of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radionetwork or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, thewireless network may be configured to operate according to specificstandards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus,particular embodiments of the wireless network may implementcommunication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long TermEvolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards;wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.11standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard,such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax),Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.

Network 106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks,IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet datanetworks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local areanetworks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks,wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks toenable communication between devices.

Network node 160 and WD 110 comprise various components described inmore detail below. These components work together to provide networknode and/or wireless device functionality, such as providing wirelessconnections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, thewireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks,network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relaystations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate orparticipate in the communication of data and/or signals whether viawired or wireless connections.

As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured,arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with awireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in thewireless network to enable and/or provide wireless access to thewireless device and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration)in the wireless network.

Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points(APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio basestations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Basestations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide(or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and may then alsobe referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro basestations, or macro base stations.

A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling arelay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of adistributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/orremote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads(RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with anantenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radiobase station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antennasystem (DAS). Yet further examples of network nodes includemulti-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, networkcontrollers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base stationcontrollers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmissionpoints, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities(MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SONnodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and/or MDTs.

As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node asdescribed in more detail below. More generally, however, network nodesmay represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable,configured, arranged, and/or operable to enable and/or provide awireless device with access to the wireless network or to provide someservice to a wireless device that has accessed the wireless network.

In FIG. 8 , network node 160 includes processing circuitry 170, devicereadable medium 180, interface 190, auxiliary equipment 184, powersource 186, power circuitry 187, and antenna 162. Although network node160 illustrated in the example wireless network of FIG. 8 may representa device that includes the illustrated combination of hardwarecomponents, other embodiments may comprise network nodes with differentcombinations of components.

It is to be understood that a network node comprises any suitablecombination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks,features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Moreover, while thecomponents of network node 160 are depicted as single boxes locatedwithin a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, anetwork node may comprise multiple different physical components thatmake up a single illustrated component (e.g., device readable medium 180may comprise multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple RAMmodules).

Similarly, network node 160 may be composed of multiple physicallyseparate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or aBTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their ownrespective components. In certain scenarios in which network node 160comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components),one or more of the separate components may be shared among severalnetwork nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB’s.In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in someinstances be considered a single separate network node.

In some embodiments, network node 160 may be configured to supportmultiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, somecomponents may be duplicated (e.g., separate device readable medium 180for the different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., thesame antenna 162 may be shared by the RATs). Network node 160 may alsoinclude multiple sets of the various illustrated components fordifferent wireless technologies integrated into network node 160, suchas, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wirelesstechnologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into thesame or different chip or set of chips and other components withinnetwork node 160.

Processing circuitry 170 is configured to perform any determining,calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations)described herein as being provided by a network node. These operationsperformed by processing circuitry 170 may include processing informationobtained by processing circuitry 170 by, for example, converting theobtained information into other information, comparing the obtainedinformation or converted information to information stored in thenetwork node, and/or performing one or more operations based on theobtained information or converted information, and as a result of saidprocessing making a determination.

Processing circuitry 170 may comprise a combination of one or more of amicroprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit,digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, fieldprogrammable gate array, or any other suitable computing device,resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logicoperable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other networknode 160 components, such as device readable medium 180, network node160 functionality.

For example, processing circuitry 170 may execute instructions stored indevice readable medium 180 or in memory within processing circuitry 170.Such functionality may include providing any of the various wirelessfeatures, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments,processing circuitry 170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include one or more ofradio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processingcircuitry 174. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceivercircuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on separatechips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units anddigital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceivercircuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on the samechip or set of chips, boards, or units

In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality describedherein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB or othersuch network device may be performed by processing circuitry 170executing instructions stored on device readable medium 180 or memorywithin processing circuitry 170. In alternative embodiments, some or allof the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 170 withoutexecuting instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readablemedium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those embodiments,whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storagemedium or not, processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform thedescribed functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality arenot limited to processing circuitry 170 alone or to other components ofnetwork node 160 but are enjoyed by network node 160 as a whole, and/orby end users and the wireless network generally.

Device readable medium 180 may comprise any form of volatile ornon-volatile computer readable memory including, without limitation,persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory,magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removablestorage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or aDigital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile,non-transitory device readable and/or computer-executable memory devicesthat store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used byprocessing circuitry 170. Device readable medium 180 may store anysuitable instructions, data or information, including a computerprogram, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules,code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executedby processing circuitry 170 and, utilized by network node 160. Devicereadable medium 180 may be used to store any calculations made byprocessing circuitry 170 and/or any data received via interface 190. Insome embodiments, processing circuitry 170 and device readable medium180 may be considered to be integrated.

Interface 190 is used in the wired or wireless communication ofsignaling and/or data between network node 160, network 106, and/or WDs110. As illustrated, interface 190 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 194 tosend and receive data, for example to and from network 106 over a wiredconnection. Interface 190 also includes radio front end circuitry 192that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, antenna162.

Radio front end circuitry 192 comprises filters 198 and amplifiers 196.Radio front end circuitry 192 may be connected to antenna 162 andprocessing circuitry 170. Radio front end circuitry may be configured tocondition signals communicated between antenna 162 and processingcircuitry 170. Radio front end circuitry 192 may receive digital datathat is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wirelessconnection. Radio front end circuitry 192 may convert the digital datainto a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidthparameters using a combination of filters 198 and/or amplifiers 196. Theradio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 162. Similarly, whenreceiving data, antenna 162 may collect radio signals which are thenconverted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 192. Thedigital data may be passed to processing circuitry 170. In otherembodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/ordifferent combinations of components.

In certain alternative embodiments, network node 160 may not includeseparate radio front end circuitry 192, instead, processing circuitry170 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected toantenna 162 without separate radio front end circuitry 192. Similarly,in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 172 may beconsidered a part of interface 190. In still other embodiments,interface 190 may include one or more ports or terminals 194, radiofront end circuitry 192, and RF transceiver circuitry 172, as part of aradio unit (not shown), and interface 190 may communicate with basebandprocessing circuitry 174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

Antenna 162 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays,configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. Antenna 162 may becoupled to radio front end circuitry 192 and may be any type of antennacapable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. Insome embodiments, antenna 162 may comprise one or more omni-directional,sector or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signalsbetween, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omni-directional antenna maybe used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, a sectorantenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals from deviceswithin a particular area, and a panel antenna may be a line of sightantenna used to transmit/receive radio signals in a relatively straightline. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may bereferred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, antenna 162 may be separatefrom network node 160 and may be connectable to network node 160 throughan interface or port.

Antenna 162, interface 190, and/or processing circuitry 170 may beconfigured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtainingoperations described herein as being performed by a network node. Anyinformation, data and/or signals may be received from a wireless device,another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly,antenna 162, interface 190, and/or processing circuitry 170 may beconfigured to perform any transmitting operations described herein asbeing performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signalsmay be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node and/or anyother network equipment.

Power circuitry 187 may comprise, or be coupled to, power managementcircuitry and is configured to supply the components of network node 160with power for performing the functionality described herein. Powercircuitry 187 may receive power from power source 186. Power source 186and/or power circuitry 187 may be configured to provide power to thevarious components of network node 160 in a form suitable for therespective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed foreach respective component). Power source 186 may either be included in,or external to, power circuitry 187 and/or network node 160.

For example, network node 160 may be connectable to an external powersource (e.g., an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interfacesuch as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source suppliespower to power circuitry 187. As a further example, power source 186 maycomprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery packwhich is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry 187. Thebattery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also beused.

Alternative embodiments of network node 160 may include additionalcomponents beyond those shown in FIG. 8 that may be responsible forproviding certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, includingany of the functionality described herein and/or any functionalitynecessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example,network node 160 may include user interface equipment to allow input ofinformation into network node 160 and to allow output of informationfrom network node 160. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic,maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node160.

As used herein, wireless device (WD) refers to a device capable,configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly withnetwork nodes and/or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise noted, theterm WD may be used interchangeably herein with user equipment (UE).Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and/or receivingwireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infraredwaves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying informationthrough air.

In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and/or receiveinformation without direct human interaction. For instance, a WD may bedesigned to transmit information to a network on a predeterminedschedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or inresponse to requests from the network.

Examples of a WD include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, amobile phone, a cell phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wirelesslocal loop phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a wireless cameras, a gaming console or device, a music storagedevice, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wirelessendpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop, a laptop-embeddedequipment (LEE), a laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a smart device, awireless customer-premise equipment (CPE). a vehicle-mounted wirelessterminal device, etc. A WD may support device-to-device (D2D)communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelinkcommunication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure(V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and may in this case be referred toas a D2D communication device.

As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT)scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performsmonitoring and/or measurements and transmits the results of suchmonitoring and/or measurements to another WD and/or a network node. TheWD may in this case be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may in a3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one example, the WD maybe a UE implementing the 3GPP narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT)standard. Examples of such machines or devices are sensors, meteringdevices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or home or personalappliances (e.g. refrigerators, televisions, etc.) personal wearables(e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.).

In other scenarios, a WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment thatis capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status orother functions associated with its operation. A WD as described abovemay represent the endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case thedevice may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD asdescribed above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred toas a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

As illustrated, wireless device 110 includes antenna 111, interface 114,processing circuitry 120, device readable medium 130, user interfaceequipment 132, auxiliary equipment 134, power source 136 and powercircuitry 137. WD 110 may include multiple sets of one or more of theillustrated components for different wireless technologies supported byWD 110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, orBluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wirelesstechnologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or setof chips as other components within WD 110.

Antenna 111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays,configured to send and/or receive wireless signals, and is connected tointerface 114. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 111 may beseparate from WD 110 and be connectable to WD 110 through an interfaceor port. Antenna 111, interface 114, and/or processing circuitry 120 maybe configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operationsdescribed herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, dataand/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another WD. Insome embodiments, radio front end circuitry and/or antenna 111 may beconsidered an interface.

As illustrated, interface 114 comprises radio front end circuitry 112and antenna 111. Radio front end circuitry 112 comprise one or morefilters 118 and amplifiers 116. Radio front end circuitry 112 isconnected to antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120 and is configuredto condition signals communicated between antenna 111 and processingcircuitry 120. Radio front end circuitry 112 may be coupled to or a partof antenna 111. In some embodiments, WD 110 may not include separateradio front end circuitry 112; rather, processing circuitry 120 maycomprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 111.Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry122 may be considered a part of interface 114.

Radio front end circuitry 112 may receive digital data that is to besent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radiofront end circuitry 112 may convert the digital data into a radio signalhaving the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using acombination of filters 118 and/or amplifiers 116. The radio signal maythen be transmitted via antenna 111. Similarly, when receiving data,antenna 111 may collect radio signals which are then converted intodigital data by radio front end circuitry 112. The digital data may bepassed to processing circuitry 120. In other embodiments, the interfacemay comprise different components and/or different combinations ofcomponents.

Processing circuitry 120 may comprise a combination of one or more of amicroprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit,digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, fieldprogrammable gate array, or any other suitable computing device,resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logicoperable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other WD 110components, such as device readable medium 130, WD 110 functionality.Such functionality may include providing any of the various wirelessfeatures or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry120 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 130 or inmemory within processing circuitry 120 to provide the functionalitydisclosed herein.

As illustrated, processing circuitry 120 includes one or more of RFtransceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, andapplication processing circuitry 126. In other embodiments, theprocessing circuitry may comprise different components and/or differentcombinations of components. In certain embodiments processing circuitry120 of WD 110 may comprise a SOC. In some embodiments, RF transceivercircuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and applicationprocessing circuitry 126 may be on separate chips or sets of chips.

In alternative embodiments, part or all of baseband processing circuitry124 and application processing circuitry 126 may be combined into onechip or set of chips, and RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be on aseparate chip or set of chips. In still alternative embodiments, part orall of RF transceiver circuitry 122 and baseband processing circuitry124 may be on the same chip or set of chips, and application processingcircuitry 126 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In yet otheralternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122,baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry126 may be combined in the same chip or set of chips. In someembodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be a part of interface114. RF transceiver circuitry 122 may condition RF signals forprocessing circuitry 120.

In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality describedherein as being performed by a WD may be provided by processingcircuitry 120 executing instructions stored on device readable medium130, which in certain embodiments may be a computer-readable storagemedium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality maybe provided by processing circuitry 120 without executing instructionsstored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such asin a hard-wired manner.

In any of those embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on adevice readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 120 can beconfigured to perform the described functionality. The benefits providedby such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 120 aloneor to other components of WD 110, but are enjoyed by WD 110, and/or byend users and the wireless network generally.

Processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any determining,calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations)described herein as being performed by a WD. These operations, asperformed by processing circuitry 120, may include processinginformation obtained by processing circuitry 120 by, for example,converting the obtained information into other information, comparingthe obtained information or converted information to information storedby WD 110, and/or performing one or more operations based on theobtained information or converted information, and as a result of saidprocessing making a determination.

Device readable medium 130 may be operable to store a computer program,software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code,tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed byprocessing circuitry 120. Device readable medium 130 may includecomputer memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory(ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media(e.g., a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or anyother volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/orcomputer executable memory devices that store information, data, and/orinstructions that may be used by processing circuitry 120. In someembodiments, processing circuitry 120 and device readable medium 130 maybe integrated.

User interface equipment 132 may provide components that allow for ahuman user to interact with WD 110. Such interaction may be of manyforms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. User interface equipment132 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the userto provide input to WD 110. The type of interaction may vary dependingon the type of user interface equipment 132 installed in WD 110. Forexample, if WD 110 is a smart phone, the interaction may be via a touchscreen; if WD 110 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through ascreen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or aspeaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected).

User interface equipment 132 may include input interfaces, devices andcircuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. User interfaceequipment 132 is configured to allow input of information into WD 110and is connected to processing circuitry 120 to allow processingcircuitry 120 to process the input information. User interface equipment132 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor,keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or otherinput circuitry. User interface equipment 132 is also configured toallow output of information from WD 110, and to allow processingcircuitry 120 to output information from WD 110. User interfaceequipment 132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibratingcircuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry.Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits, ofuser interface equipment 132, WD 110 may communicate with end usersand/or the wireless network and allow them to benefit from thefunctionality described herein.

Auxiliary equipment 134 is operable to provide more specificfunctionality which may not be generally performed by WDs. This maycomprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for variouspurposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wiredcommunications etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliaryequipment 134 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.

Power source 136 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a batteryor battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external powersource (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices or powercells, may also be used. WD 110 may further comprise power circuitry 137for delivering power from power source 136 to the various parts of WD110 which need power from power source 136 to carry out anyfunctionality described or indicated herein. Power circuitry 137 may incertain embodiments comprise power management circuitry.

Power circuitry 137 may additionally or alternatively be operable toreceive power from an external power source; in which case WD 110 may beconnectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet)via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable.Power circuitry 137 may also in certain embodiments be operable todeliver power from an external power source to power source 136. Thismay be, for example, for the charging of power source 136. Powercircuitry 137 may perform any formatting, converting, or othermodification to the power from power source 136 to make the powersuitable for the respective components of WD 110 to which power issupplied.

Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in anyappropriate type of system using any suitable components, theembodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to a wirelessnetwork, such as the example wireless network illustrated in FIG. 8 .For simplicity, the wireless network of FIG. 8 only depicts network 106,network nodes 160 and 160 b, and WDs 110, 110 b, and 110 c. In practice,a wireless network may further include any additional elements suitableto support communication between wireless devices or between a wirelessdevice and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, aservice provider, or any other network node or end device. Of theillustrated components, network node 160 and wireless device (WD) 110are depicted with additional detail. The wireless network may providecommunication and other types of services to one or more wirelessdevices to facilitate the wireless devices’ access to and/or use of theservices provided by, or via, the wireless network.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user equipment, according to certainembodiments. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarilyhave a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates therelevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intendedfor sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or whichmay not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., asmart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a devicethat is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but whichmay be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., asmart power meter). UE 200 may be any UE identified by the 3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a NB-IoT UE, a machinetype communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. UE 200,as illustrated in FIG. 9 , is one example of a WD configured forcommunication in accordance with one or more communication standardspromulgated by the 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as3GPP’s GSM, UMTS, LTE, and/or 5G standards. As mentioned previously, theterm WD and UE may be used interchangeable. Accordingly, although FIG. 9is a UE, the components discussed herein are equally applicable to a WD,and vice-versa.

In FIG. 9 , UE 200 includes processing circuitry 201 that is operativelycoupled to input/output interface 205, radio frequency (RF) interface209, network connection interface 211, memory 215 including randomaccess memory (RAM) 217, read-only memory (ROM) 219, and storage medium221 or the like, communication subsystem 231, power source 213, and/orany other component, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 221includes operating system 223, application program 225, and data 227. Inother embodiments, storage medium 221 may include other similar types ofinformation. Certain UEs may use all the components shown in FIG. 9 , oronly a subset of the components. The level of integration between thecomponents may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs maycontain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors,memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

In FIG. 9 , processing circuitry 201 may be configured to processcomputer instructions and data. Processing circuitry 201 may beconfigured to implement any sequential state machine operative toexecute machine instructions stored as machine-readable computerprograms in the memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented statemachines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logictogether with appropriate firmware; one or more stored program,general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital SignalProcessor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combinationof the above. For example, the processing circuitry 201 may include twocentral processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a formsuitable for use by a computer.

In the depicted embodiment, input/output interface 205 may be configuredto provide a communication interface to an input device, output device,or input and output device. UE 200 may be configured to use an outputdevice via input/output interface 205.

An output device may use the same type of interface port as an inputdevice. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to andoutput from UE 200. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, avideo card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, asmartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof.

UE 200 may be configured to use an input device via input/outputinterface 205 to allow a user to capture information into UE 200. Theinput device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitivedisplay, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcamera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, adirectional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like.The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistivetouch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance,an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, amagnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another likesensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may bean accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and anoptical sensor.

In FIG. 9 , RF interface 209 may be configured to provide acommunication interface to RF components such as a transmitter, areceiver, and an antenna. Network connection interface 211 may beconfigured to provide a communication interface to network 243 a.Network 243 a may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as alocal-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a computer network,a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like networkor any combination thereof. For example, network 243 a may comprise aWi-Fi network. Network connection interface 211 may be configured toinclude a receiver and a transmitter interface used to communicate withone or more other devices over a communication network according to oneor more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, SONET, ATM,or the like. Network connection interface 211 may implement receiver andtransmitter functionality appropriate to the communication network links(e.g., optical, electrical, and the like). The transmitter and receiverfunctions may share circuit components, software or firmware, oralternatively may be implemented separately.

RAM 217 may be configured to interface via bus 202 to processingcircuitry 201 to provide storage or caching of data or computerinstructions during the execution of software programs such as theoperating system, application programs, and device drivers. ROM 219 maybe configured to provide computer instructions or data to processingcircuitry 201. For example, ROM 219 may be configured to store invariantlow-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basicinput and output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from akeyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory.

Storage medium 221 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM,programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks,removable cartridges, or flash drives. In one example, storage medium221 may be configured to include operating system 223, applicationprogram 225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engineor another application, and data file 227. Storage medium 221 may store,for use by UE 200, any of a variety of various operating systems orcombinations of operating systems.

Storage medium 221 may be configured to include a number of physicaldrive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppydisk drive, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive,thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc(HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray opticaldisc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive,external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamicrandom access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcardmemory such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity(SIM/RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. Storagemedium 221 may allow UE 200 to access computer-executable instructions,application programs or the like, stored on transitory or non-transitorymemory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article ofmanufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may betangibly embodied in storage medium 221, which may comprise a devicereadable medium.

In FIG. 9 , processing circuitry 201 may be configured to communicatewith network 243 b using communication subsystem 231. Network 243 a andnetwork 243 b may be the same network or networks or different networkor networks. Communication subsystem 231 may be configured to includeone or more transceivers used to communicate with network 243 b. Forexample, communication subsystem 231 may be configured to include one ormore transceivers used to communicate with one or more remotetransceivers of another device capable of wireless communication such asanother WD, UE, or base station of a radio access network (RAN)according to one or more communication protocols, such as IEEE 802.2,CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, or the like. Each transceiver mayinclude transmitter 233 and/or receiver 235 to implement transmitter orreceiver functionality, respectively, appropriate to the RAN links(e.g., frequency allocations and the like). Further, transmitter 233 andreceiver 235 of each transceiver may share circuit components, softwareor firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately.

In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions ofcommunication subsystem 231 may include data communication, voicecommunication, multimedia communication, short-range communications suchas Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communicationsuch as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine alocation, another like communication function, or any combinationthereof. For example, communication subsystem 231 may include cellularcommunication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPScommunication. Network 243 b may encompass wired and/or wirelessnetworks such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN),a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network,another like network or any combination thereof. For example, network243 b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and/or a near-fieldnetwork. Power source 213 may be configured to provide alternatingcurrent (AC) or direct current (DC) power to components of UE 200.

The features, benefits and/or functions described herein may beimplemented in one of the components of UE 200 or partitioned acrossmultiple components of UE 200. Further, the features, benefits, and/orfunctions described herein may be implemented in any combination ofhardware, software or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein.Further, processing circuitry 201 may be configured to communicate withany of such components over bus 202. In another example, any of suchcomponents may be represented by program instructions stored in memorythat when executed by processing circuitry 201 perform the correspondingfunctions described herein. In another example, the functionality of anyof such components may be partitioned between processing circuitry 201and communication subsystem 231. In another example, thenon-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may beimplemented in software or firmware and the computationally intensivefunctions may be implemented in hardware.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flowchart illustrating an example method 1000 ina wireless device, according to certain embodiments. In particularembodiments, one or more steps of FIGS. 10A and 10B may be performed bywireless device 110 described with respect to FIG. 8 .

The method may begin at step 1012, where the wireless device (e.g.,wireless device 110) obtains (for example receives) a TA value for usewith uplink transmissions. The wireless device may obtain the TA valuevia a random access response, via a configured grant, or via any othersuitable signaling described herein.

At step 1014, the wireless device receives a grant for a RRC inactivemode uplink transmission. The grant may be for a single transmission orfor periodic transmission.

At step 1016, the wireless device measures a reference signal associatedwith each beam (e.g., SSB, CSI-RS, etc.) of a plurality of beams at afirst time. The wireless device selects a first beam of the plurality ofbeams based on the measured reference signals at the first time at step1018. The selection may be based on signal strength (e.g., beam withhighest signal strength) according to any of the embodiments andexamples described herein.

At step 1020, the wireless device stores the measurement associated withthe selected first beam. The wireless device may use the measurementlater to compare against other measurements.

At step 1022, the wireless device measures a reference signal associatedwith each beam of a plurality of beams at a second time in preparationfor the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission. For example, the wirelessdevice may have moved since measuring the first set of beams. Thus, thewireless device performs measurements again and may select the bestbeam. At step 1024, the wireless device selects, based on the measuredreference signals at the second time, a second beam of the plurality ofbeams for which the measuring was performed at the second time. Theselection may be based on signal strength (e.g., beam with highestsignal strength) according to any of the embodiments and examplesdescribed herein.

Next the wireless device determines whether the obtained TA value is avalid TA value for use with the selected second beam or whether thewireless device should request a new TA value.

When the first selected beam is the same as the second selected beam andthe measurement of the reference signal associated with the firstselected beam is within a threshold value of the measurement of thereference signal associated with the second selected beam, the methodcontinues to step 1026 where the wireless device transmits the RRCinactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA.

In some embodiments, when the measurement of the reference signalassociated with the first selected beam is not within the thresholdvalue of the measurement of the reference signal associated with thesecond selected beam, the method continues to step 1028 where thewireless device requests a new TA value. As described above, if themeasurements are not within a particular threshold, it may indicate thatthe wireless device has moved a particular distance and the obtained TAvalue is no longer valid.

In some embodiments, when the first selected beam is not the same as thesecond selected beam, the method continues to step 1028 where thewireless device requests a new TA value. In other embodiments, thewireless device may apply additional comparisons when the first selectedbeam is not the same as the second selected beam.

For example, when the first selected beam and the second selected beamsare associated with a same TA value and the measurement of the referencesignal associated with the first selected beam is within a thresholdvalue of the measurement of the reference signal associated with thesecond selected beam, the method continues to step 1026 where thewireless device transmits the RRC inactive mode uplink transmissionusing the obtained TA.

As another example, when the first selected beam is not the same as thesecond selected beam and a spatial filter and/or antenna panelassociated with the first selected beam is the same as a spatial filterand/or antenna panel associated with the second selected beam, themethod continues to step 1026 where the wireless device transmits theRRC inactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to method 1000 ofFIG. 10 . Additionally, one or more steps in the method of FIG. 10 maybe performed in parallel or in any suitable order.

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus in awireless network (for example, the wireless network illustrated in FIG.8 ). The apparatus includes a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 110illustrated in FIG. 8 ). Apparatus 1600 is operable to carry out theexample method described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, andpossibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It is also tobe understood that the method of FIGS. 10A and 10B is not necessarilycarried out solely by apparatus 1600. At least some operations of themethod may be performed by one or more other entities.

Virtual apparatus 1600 may comprise processing circuitry, which mayinclude one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as otherdigital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs),special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitrymay be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which mayinclude one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM),random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, opticalstorage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes programinstructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or datacommunications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one ormore of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments.

In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to causeobtaining module 1602, determining module 1604, transmitting module1606, and any other suitable units of apparatus 1600 to performcorresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 11 , apparatus 1600 includes obtaining module1602 configured to obtain a TA value according to any of the embodimentsand examples described herein (e.g., via RAR, configured grant, etc.).Determining module 1604 is configured to determine whether a TA may beused or whether to request a new TA according to any of the embodimentsand examples described herein. Transmitting module 1606 is configured totransmit an uplink transmission, according to any of the embodiments andexamples described herein.

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualizationenvironment 300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments maybe virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creatingvirtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may includevirtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networkingresources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to a node(e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) orto a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device or any other type ofcommunication device) or components thereof and relates to animplementation in which at least a portion of the functionality isimplemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or moreapplications, components, functions, virtual machines or containersexecuting on one or more physical processing nodes in one or morenetworks).

In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein maybe implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtualmachines implemented in one or more virtual environments 300 hosted byone or more of hardware nodes 330. Further, in embodiments in which thevirtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radioconnectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may beentirely virtualized.

The functions may be implemented by one or more applications 320 (whichmay alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances,network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.)operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefitsof some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 320 are run invirtualization environment 300 which provides hardware 330 comprisingprocessing circuitry 360 and memory 390. Memory 390 containsinstructions 395 executable by processing circuitry 360 wherebyapplication 320 is operative to provide one or more of the features,benefits, and/or functions disclosed herein.

Virtualization environment 300, comprises general-purpose orspecial-purpose network hardware devices 330 comprising a set of one ormore processors or processing circuitry 360, which may be commercialoff-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated Application SpecificIntegrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitryincluding digital or analog hardware components or special purposeprocessors. Each hardware device may comprise memory 390-1 which may benon-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 395 orsoftware executed by processing circuitry 360. Each hardware device maycomprise one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 370, alsoknown as network interface cards, which include physical networkinterface 380. Each hardware device may also include non-transitory,persistent, machine-readable storage media 390-2 having stored thereinsoftware 395 and/or instructions executable by processing circuitry 360.Software 395 may include any type of software including software forinstantiating one or more virtualization layers 350 (also referred to ashypervisors), software to execute virtual machines 340 as well assoftware allowing it to execute functions, features and/or benefitsdescribed in relation with some embodiments described herein.

Virtual machines 340, comprise virtual processing, virtual memory,virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by acorresponding virtualization layer 350 or hypervisor. Differentembodiments of the instance of virtual appliance 320 may be implementedon one or more of virtual machines 340, and the implementations may bemade in different ways.

During operation, processing circuitry 360 executes software 395 toinstantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 350, which maysometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM).Virtualization layer 350 may present a virtual operating platform thatappears like networking hardware to virtual machine 340.

As shown in FIG. 12 , hardware 330 may be a standalone network node withgeneric or specific components. Hardware 330 may comprise antenna 3225and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively,hardware 330 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such asin a data center or customer premise equipment (CPE)) where manyhardware nodes work together and are managed via management andorchestration (MANO) 3100, which, among others, oversees lifecyclemanagement of applications 320.

Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to asnetwork function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidatemany network equipment types onto industry standard high-volume serverhardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be locatedin data centers, and customer premise equipment.

In the context of NFV, virtual machine 340 may be a softwareimplementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they wereexecuting on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of virtualmachines 340, and that part of hardware 330 that executes that virtualmachine, be it hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and/orhardware shared by that virtual machine with others of the virtualmachines 340, forms a separate virtual network elements (VNE).

Still in the context of NFV, Virtual Network Function (VNF) isresponsible for handling specific network functions that run in one ormore virtual machines 340 on top of hardware networking infrastructure330 and corresponds to application 320 in FIG. 17 .

In some embodiments, one or more radio units 3200 that each include oneor more transmitters 3220 and one or more receivers 3210 may be coupledto one or more antennas 3225. Radio units 3200 may communicate directlywith hardware nodes 330 via one or more appropriate network interfacesand may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide avirtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or abase station.

In some embodiments, some signaling can be effected with the use ofcontrol system 3230 which may alternatively be used for communicationbetween the hardware nodes 330 and radio units 3200.

With reference to FIG. 13 , in accordance with an embodiment, acommunication system includes telecommunication network 410, such as a3GPP-type cellular network, which comprises access network 411, such asa radio access network, and core network 414. Access network 411comprises a plurality of base stations 412 a, 412 b, 412 c, such as NBs,eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining acorresponding coverage area 413 a, 413 b, 413 c. Each base station 412a, 412 b, 412 c is connectable to core network 414 over a wired orwireless connection 415. A first UE 491 located in coverage area 413 cis configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, thecorresponding base station 412 c. A second UE 492 in coverage area 413 ais wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 412 a. Whilea plurality of UEs 491, 492 are illustrated in this example, thedisclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation where a soleUE is in the coverage area or where a sole UE is connecting to thecorresponding base station 412.

Telecommunication network 410 is itself connected to host computer 430,which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standaloneserver, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or asprocessing resources in a server farm. Host computer 430 may be underthe ownership or control of a service provider or may be operated by theservice provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 421and 422 between telecommunication network 410 and host computer 430 mayextend directly from core network 414 to host computer 430 or may go viaan optional intermediate network 420. Intermediate network 420 may beone of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private orhosted network; intermediate network 420, if any, may be a backbonenetwork or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 420 maycomprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).

The communication system of FIG. 13 as a whole enables connectivitybetween the connected UEs 491, 492 and host computer 430. Theconnectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 450.Host computer 430 and the connected UEs 491, 492 are configured tocommunicate data and/or signaling via OTT connection 450, using accessnetwork 411, core network 414, any intermediate network 420 and possiblefurther infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. OTT connection 450may be transparent in the sense that the participating communicationdevices through which OTT connection 450 passes are unaware of routingof uplink and downlink communications. For example, base station 412 maynot or need not be informed about the past routing of an incomingdownlink communication with data originating from host computer 430 tobe forwarded (e.g., handed over) to a connected UE 491. Similarly, basestation 412 need not be aware of the future routing of an outgoinguplink communication originating from the UE 491 towards the hostcomputer 430.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example host computer communicating via a basestation with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection,according to certain embodiments. Example implementations, in accordancewith an embodiment of the UE, base station and host computer discussedin the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG.14 . In communication system 500, host computer 510 comprises hardware515 including communication interface 516 configured to set up andmaintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a differentcommunication device of communication system 500. Host computer 510further comprises processing circuitry 518, which may have storageand/or processing capabilities. In particular, processing circuitry 518may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specificintegrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations ofthese (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Host computer 510further comprises software 511, which is stored in or accessible by hostcomputer 510 and executable by processing circuitry 518. Software 511includes host application 512. Host application 512 may be operable toprovide a service to a remote user, such as UE 530 connecting via OTTconnection 550 terminating at UE 530 and host computer 510. In providingthe service to the remote user, host application 512 may provide userdata which is transmitted using OTT connection 550.

Communication system 500 further includes base station 520 provided in atelecommunication system and comprising hardware 525 enabling it tocommunicate with host computer 510 and with UE 530. Hardware 525 mayinclude communication interface 526 for setting up and maintaining awired or wireless connection with an interface of a differentcommunication device of communication system 500, as well as radiointerface 527 for setting up and maintaining at least wirelessconnection 570 with UE 530 located in a coverage area (not shown in FIG.14 ) served by base station 520. Communication interface 526 may beconfigured to facilitate connection 560 to host computer 510. Connection560 may be direct, or it may pass through a core network (not shown inFIG. 14 ) of the telecommunication system and/or through one or moreintermediate networks outside the telecommunication system. In theembodiment shown, hardware 525 of base station 520 further includesprocessing circuitry 528, which may comprise one or more programmableprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmablegate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to executeinstructions. Base station 520 further has software 521 storedinternally or accessible via an external connection.

Communication system 500 further includes UE 530 already referred to.Its hardware 535 may include radio interface 537 configured to set upand maintain wireless connection 570 with a base station serving acoverage area in which UE 530 is currently located. Hardware 535 of UE530 further includes processing circuitry 538, which may comprise one ormore programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits,field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown)adapted to execute instructions. UE 530 further comprises software 531,which is stored in or accessible by UE 530 and executable by processingcircuitry 538. Software 531 includes client application 532. Clientapplication 532 may be operable to provide a service to a human ornon-human user via UE 530, with the support of host computer 510. Inhost computer 510, an executing host application 512 may communicatewith the executing client application 532 via OTT connection 550terminating at UE 530 and host computer 510. In providing the service tothe user, client application 532 may receive request data from hostapplication 512 and provide user data in response to the request data.OTT connection 550 may transfer both the request data and the user data.Client application 532 may interact with the user to generate the userdata that it provides.

It is noted that host computer 510, base station 520 and UE 530illustrated in FIG. 14 may be similar or identical to host computer 430,one of base stations 412 a, 412 b, 412 c and one of UEs 491, 492 of FIG.12 , respectively. This is to say, the inner workings of these entitiesmay be as shown in FIG. 14 and independently, the surrounding networktopology may be that of FIG. 12 .

In FIG. 14 , OTT connection 550 has been drawn abstractly to illustratethe communication between host computer 510 and UE 530 via base station520, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and theprecise routing of messages via these devices. Network infrastructuremay determine the routing, which it may be configured to hide from UE530 or from the service provider operating host computer 510, or both.While OTT connection 550 is active, the network infrastructure mayfurther take decisions by which it dynamically changes the routing(e.g., based on load balancing consideration or reconfiguration of thenetwork).

Wireless connection 570 between UE 530 and base station 520 is inaccordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughoutthis disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve theperformance of OTT services provided to UE 530 using OTT connection 550,in which wireless connection 570 forms the last segment. More precisely,the teachings of these embodiments may improve the signaling overheadand reduce latency, which may provide faster internet access for users.

A measurement procedure may be provided for monitoring data rate,latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve.There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguringOTT connection 550 between host computer 510 and UE 530, in response tovariations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/orthe network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 550 may beimplemented in software 511 and hardware 515 of host computer 510 or insoftware 531 and hardware 535 of UE 530, or both. In embodiments,sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association withcommunication devices through which OTT connection 550 passes; thesensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying valuesof the monitored quantities exemplified above or supplying values ofother physical quantities from which software 511, 531 may compute orestimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of OTT connection550 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferredrouting etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect base station 520, and itmay be unknown or imperceptible to base station 520. Such procedures andfunctionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certainembodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signalingfacilitating host computer 510′s measurements of throughput, propagationtimes, latency and the like. The measurements may be implemented in thatsoftware 511 and 531 causes messages to be transmitted, in particularempty or ‘dummy’ messages, using OTT connection 550 while it monitorspropagation times, errors etc.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, in accordance with one embodiment. Thecommunication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UEwhich may be those described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 . Forsimplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to FIG. 15will be included in this section.

In step 610, the host computer provides user data. In substep 611 (whichmay be optional) of step 610, the host computer provides the user databy executing a host application. In step 620, the host computerinitiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In step 630(which may be optional), the base station transmits to the UE the userdata which was carried in the transmission that the host computerinitiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments describedthroughout this disclosure. In step 640 (which may also be optional),the UE executes a client application associated with the hostapplication executed by the host computer.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, in accordance with one embodiment. Thecommunication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UEwhich may be those described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 . Forsimplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to FIG. 16will be included in this section.

In step 710 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In anoptional substep (not shown) the host computer provides the user data byexecuting a host application. In step 720, the host computer initiates atransmission carrying the user data to the UE. The transmission may passvia the base station, in accordance with the teachings of theembodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 730 (which maybe optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, in accordance with one embodiment. Thecommunication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UEwhich may be those described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 . Forsimplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to FIG. 17will be included in this section.

In step 810 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data providedby the host computer. Additionally, or alternatively, in step 820, theUE provides user data. In substep 821 (which may be optional) of step820, the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. Insubstep 811 (which may be optional) of step 810, the UE executes aclient application which provides the user data in reaction to thereceived input data provided by the host computer. In providing the userdata, the executed client application may further consider user inputreceived from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which theuser data was provided, the UE initiates, in substep 830 (which may beoptional), transmission of the user data to the host computer. In step840 of the method, the host computer receives the user data transmittedfrom the UE, in accordance with the teachings of the embodimentsdescribed throughout this disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in acommunication system, in accordance with one embodiment. Thecommunication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UEwhich may be those described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 . Forsimplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to FIG. 18will be included in this section.

In step 910 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings ofthe embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base stationreceives user data from the UE. In step 920 (which may be optional), thebase station initiates transmission of the received user data to thehost computer. In step 930 (which may be optional), the host computerreceives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the basestation.

Some example embodiments are as follows.

-   1. A method performed by a wireless device, the method comprising:    -   receiving a timing advance (TA) value for use with uplink        transmission;    -   receiving a grant for a radio resource control (RRC) inactive        mode uplink transmission;    -   measuring a reference signal associated with each beam of a        plurality of beams at a first time To;    -   selecting a first beam of the plurality of beams based on the        measured reference signals at time To;    -   storing the measurement associated with the selected first beam;    -   preparing an uplink transmission using the grant for the RRC        inactive mode uplink transmission;    -   measuring the reference signal associated with each beam of the        plurality of beams at a second time T_(1;)    -   selecting a second beam of the plurality of beams based on the        measured reference signals at time T₁; and    -   when the first selected beam is the same as the second selected        beam and the measurement of the reference signal associated with        the first selected beam is within a threshold value of the        measurement of the reference signal associated with the second        selected beam, transmitting the RRC inactive mode uplink        transmission using the received TA.-   2. The method of embodiment 1, further comprising:    -   when the measurement of the reference signal associated with the        first selected beam is not within the threshold value of the        measurement of the reference signal associated with the second        selected beam, requesting a new TA value;-   3. The method of embodiment 1, further comprising:    -   when the first selected beam is not the same as the second        selected beam, requesting a new TA value;-   4. The method of embodiment 1, further comprising:    -   when the first selected beam and the second selected beams are        associated with a same TA value and the measurement of the        reference signal associated with the first selected beam is        within a threshold value of the measurement of the reference        signal associated with the second selected beam, transmitting        the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission using the received        TA.;-   5. The method of any one of embodiments 1-4, wherein selecting the    first beam comprises selecting the beam associated with the    reference signal with the highest signal strength at T₀ and    selecting the second beam comprises selecting the beam associated    with the reference signal with the highest signal strength at T₁.;

The term unit may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics,electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, forexample, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules,processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices,computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks,procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and soon, as such as those that are described herein.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems andapparatuses disclosed herein without departing from the scope of theinvention. The components of the systems and apparatuses may beintegrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems andapparatuses may be performed by more, fewer, or other components.Additionally, operations of the systems and apparatuses may be performedusing any suitable logic comprising software, hardware, and/or otherlogic. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a setor each member of a subset of a set.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the methodsdisclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Themethods may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps maybe performed in any suitable order.

The foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details. It isunderstood, however, that embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structuresand techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure theunderstanding of this description. Those of ordinary skill in the art,with the included descriptions, will be able to implement appropriatefunctionality without undue experimentation.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or notexplicitly described.

Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certainembodiments, alterations and permutations of the embodiments will beapparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above descriptionof the embodiments does not constrain this disclosure. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are possible without departing from thescope of this disclosure, as defined by the claims below.

At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in thisdisclosure. If there is an inconsistency between abbreviations,preference should be given to how it is used above. If listed multipletimes below, the first listing should be preferred over any subsequentlisting(s).

Ix RTT CDMA2000 lx Radio Transmission Technology 3GPP 3rd GenerationPartnership Project 5G 5th Generation ABS Almost Blank Subframe ACK/NACKAcknowledgment/Non-acknowledgment ARQ Automatic Repeat Request AWGNAdditive White Gaussian Noise BCCH Broadcast Control Channel BCHBroadcast Channel CA Carrier Aggregation CC Carrier Component CCCH SDUCommon Control Channel SDU CDMA Code Division Multiplexing Access CGConfigured Grant CGI Cell Global Identifier CIR Channel Impulse ResponseCP Cyclic Prefix CPICH Common Pilot Channel CPICH Ec/No CPICH Receivedenergy per chip divided by the power density in the band CQI ChannelQuality information C-RNTI Cell RNTI CSI Channel State Information DCCHDedicated Control Channel DCI Downlink Control Information DFTS-OFDMDiscrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM DL Downlink DM Demodulation DMRSDemodulation Reference Signal DRX Discontinuous Reception DTXDiscontinuous Transmission DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel DUT DeviceUnder Test E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (positioning method) E-SMLCEvolved-Serving Mobile Location Centre ECGI Evolved CGI eNB E-UTRANNodeB ePDCCH enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel E-SMLC evolvedServing Mobile Location Center E-UTRA Evolved UTRA E-UTRAN Evolved UTRANFDD Frequency Division Duplex GERAN GSM EDGE Radio Access Network GFGrant-Free gNB Base station in NR GNSS Global Navigation SatelliteSystem GSM Global System for Mobile communication HARQ Hybrid AutomaticRepeat Request HO Handover HSPA High Speed Packet Access HRPD High RatePacket Data LOS Line of Sight LPP LTE Positioning Protocol LTE Long-TermEvolution MAC Medium Access Control MBMS Multimedia Broadcast MulticastServices MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast multicast service Single FrequencyNetwork MBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe MCS Modulation and CodingScheme MDT Minimization of Drive Tests MIB Master Information Block MMEMobility Management Entity MSC Mobile Switching Center NPDCCH NarrowbandPhysical Downlink Control Channel NR New Radio OCNG OFDMA Channel NoiseGenerator OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing OFDMAOrthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access OSS Operations SupportSystem OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival O&M Operation andMaintenance PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel P-CCPCH Primary CommonControl Physical Channel PCell Primary Cell PCFICH Physical ControlFormat Indicator Channel PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel PDPProfile Delay Profile PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel PGW PacketGateway PHICH Physical Hybrid-ARQ Indicator Channel PLMN Public LandMobile Network PMI Precoder Matrix Indicator PRACH Physical RandomAccess Channel PRS Positioning Reference Signal PSS PrimarySynchronization Signal PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel PURPreconfigured Uplink Resources PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel RACHRandom Access Channel QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation RAN RadioAccess Network RAT Radio Access Technology RLM Radio Link Management RNCRadio Network Controller RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier RRCRadio Resource Control RRM Radio Resource Management RS Reference SignalRSCP Received Signal Code Power RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power ORReference Signal Received Power RSRQ Reference Signal Received QualityOR Reference Symbol Received Quality RSSI Received Signal StrengthIndicator RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference SCH SynchronizationChannel SCell Secondary Cell SDU Service Data Unit SFN System FrameNumber SGW Serving Gateway SI System Information SIB System InformationBlock SNR Signal to Noise Ratio SON Self Optimized Network SPSSemi-Persistent Scheduling SUL Supplemental Uplink SS SynchronizationSignal SSS Secondary Synchronization Signal TA Timing Advance TDD TimeDivision Duplex TDOA Time Difference of Arrival TO Transmission OccasionTOA Time of Arrival TSS Tertiary Synchronization Signal TTI TransmissionTime Interval UE User Equipment UL Uplink URLLC Ultra-Reliable andLow-Latency Communications UMTS Universal Mobile TelecommunicationSystem USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module UTDOA Uplink TimeDifference of Arrival UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access UTRANUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access Network WCDMA Wide CDMA WLAN WideLocal Area Network

1. A method performed by a wireless device, the method comprising:obtaining a timing advance (TA) value for use with uplink transmissions;receiving a grant for a radio resource control (RRC) inactive modeuplink transmission; measuring a reference signal associated with eachbeam of a plurality of beams at a first time; selecting a first beam ofthe plurality of beams based on the measured reference signals at thefirst time; storing the measurement associated with the selected firstbeam; measuring a reference signal associated with each beam of aplurality of beams at a second time in preparation for the RRC inactivemode uplink transmission; selecting , based on the measured referencesignals at the second time, a second beam of the plurality of beams forwhich the measuring was performed at the second time; and when the firstselected beam is the same as the second selected beam and themeasurement of the reference signal associated with the first selectedbeam is within a threshold value of the measurement of the referencesignal associated with the second selected beam, transmitting the RRCinactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: when the measurement of the referencesignal associated with the first selected beam is not within thethreshold value of the measurement of the reference signal associatedwith the second selected beam, requesting a new TA value.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: when the first selected beam is not thesame as the second selected beam, requesting a new TA value.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the RRC inactive modeuplink transmission using the obtained TA when: the first selected beamis not the same as the second selected beam; the first selected beam andthe second selected beams are associated with a same TA value; and themeasurement of the reference signal associated with the first selectedbeam is within a threshold value of the measurement of the referencesignal associated with the second selected beam.
 5. The method of claim1, further comprising transmitting the RRC inactive mode uplinktransmission using the obtained TA when: the first selected beam is notthe same as the second selected beam; and a spatial filter associatedwith the first selected beam is the same as a spatial filter associatedwith the second selected beam.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising transmitting the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission usingthe obtained TA when: the first selected beam is not the same as thesecond selected beam; and an antenna panel associated with the firstselected beam is the same as an antenna panel associated with the secondselected beam.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the firstbeam comprises selecting the beam associated with the reference signalwith the highest signal strength at the first time and wherein selectingthe second beam comprises selecting the beam associated with thereference signal with the highest signal strength at the second time. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the TA value is obtained as part of arandom access response (RAR) message or as part of a configured grantfor RRC inactive mode uplink transmission.
 9. A wireless devicecomprising: power supply circuitry configured to supply power to thewireless device; and processing circuitry operable to: obtain a timingadvance (TA) value for use with uplink transmissions; receive a grantfor a radio resource control (RRC) inactive mode uplink transmission;measure a reference signal associated with each beam of a plurality ofbeams at a first time; select a first beam of the plurality of beamsbased on the measured reference signals at the first time; store themeasurement associated with the selected first beam; measure a referencesignal associated with each beam of a plurality of beams at a secondtime in preparation for the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission;select, based on the measured reference signals at the second time, asecond beam of the plurality of beams for which the measuring wasperformed at the second time; and when the first selected beam is thesame as the second selected beam and the measurement of the referencesignal associated with the first selected beam is within a thresholdvalue of the measurement of the reference signal associated with thesecond selected beam, transmit the RRC inactive mode uplink transmissionusing the obtained TA.
 10. The wireless device of claim 9, theprocessing circuitry further operable to: when the measurement of thereference signal associated with the first selected beam is not withinthe threshold value of the measurement of the reference signalassociated with the second selected beam, request a new TA value. 11.The wireless device of claim 9, the processing circuitry furtheroperable to: when the first selected beam is not the same as the secondselected beam, request a new TA value.
 12. The wireless device of claim9, the processing circuitry further operable to transmit the RRCinactive mode uplink transmission using the obtained TA when: the firstselected beam is not the same as the second selected beam; the firstselected beam and the second selected beams are associated with a sameTA value; and the measurement of the reference signal associated withthe first selected beam is within a threshold value of the measurementof the reference signal associated with the second selected beam. 13.The wireless device of claim 9, the processing circuitry furtheroperable to transmit the RRC inactive mode uplink transmission using theobtained TA when: the first selected beam is not the same as the secondselected beam; and a spatial filter associated with the first selectedbeam is the same as a spatial filter associated with the second selectedbeam.
 14. The wireless device of claim 9, the processing circuitryfurther operable to transmit the RRC inactive mode uplink transmissionusing the obtained TA when: the first selected beam is not the same asthe second selected beam; and an antenna panel associated with the firstselected beam is the same as an antenna panel associated with the secondselected beam.
 15. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein theprocessing circuitry is operable to select the first beam by selectingthe beam associated with the reference signal with the highest signalstrength at the first time and wherein selecting the second beamcomprises selecting the beam associated with the reference signal withthe highest signal strength at the second time.
 16. The wireless deviceof claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry operable to obtain the TAvalue as part of a random access response (RAR) message or as part of aconfigured grant for RRC inactive mode uplink transmission.